| Submission Guidelines and Manuscript Preparation |
|
|
As an online journal, all manuscripts are submitted electronically via our Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development Manuscript Management System. Articles accepted by the publisher are reviewed through a double-blind review process.
A template for a basic applied research paper is found at the bottom of this page. Manuscript Preparation Papers should be submitted in the following format:
Language and Language ServicesPlease write your text in good English (American or British usage is accepted, but not a mixture of these). Authors whose native language is not English are advised to have their manuscripts checked by an English-speaking colleague or to use a translation service prior to submission. For information about language editing and copyediting services we may be able to provide, please email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Word CountsApplied research articlesApplied research articles are generally limited to approximately 8,500 words, including abstract, end notes, tables, references and appendices. For a sample manuscript click here.
Research or Policy Briefs (up to 2,500 words) provide updates of large/long-term studies or analysis of innovative agriculture and food policies.
Book reviewsBook reviews should be approximately 1,000 words.
Article PreparationArticles should be submitted as Microsoft Office Word files (Word 2003 and Word 2007 are acceptable, as well as RTF). Do not submit an article as an Adobe Acrobat file (PDF). A Word template, including all Journal paragraph styles and our preferred manuscript ordering, is available here, although you are not required to use it.
Use the following formatting guidelines:
The text should be in single-column format and in as simple a layout as possible. Most formatting will be removed and replaced as we process the article. Do not use your word processor’s options to justify text or to hyphenate words. You may, however, use bold face, italics, subscripts, superscripts etc. We recommend using the spell checker prior to submission as well.
Do not place any figures into the text file; instead, indicate their approximate locations directly in the electronic text. See the sections below on Tables and Figures for acceptable format and submission requirements.
Article StructureAll major words of headings and subheadings should be capitalized, excluding articles and short prepositions. Bullets can be used to highlight lists.
AbstractA concise and factual abstract of up to 150 words is required. The abstract should give a clear idea of the line of reasoning in the paper and the main conclusions made. Mention the geographic location of the work if it is integral to the subject. The abstract should not include equations, diagrams, footnotes, or parenthetical references, but may include numbers. An abstract is often presented separately from the article, so it must be able to stand alone. For this reason, references should be avoided, but if essential, then cite the author(s) and year(s).Nonstandard or uncommon abbreviations should be avoided, but if essential they must be defined at their first mention in the abstract itself.
Key WordsImmediately after the abstract, provide a maximum of 10 key words in alphabetical order. Consider standard words or terms that describe your methodology, empirical investigation, and conclusions. Use American English spelling and avoiding general and plural terms and multiple concepts (avoid, for example, “and,” “of”). Be sparing with abbreviations: only abbreviations firmly established in the field should be used. If a common abbreviation or synonym is used, please include this in addition to the standard word(s). These key words are critical for indexing purposes.
Introduction and Literature ReviewState the objectives of the work and provide an adequate background, including a brief review of the relevant iterature. Address previous work of others related to the topic, particularly their approach and results. This section should explain why the topic of the research is important, providing adequate background in order to set the stage for the remainder of the paper.
Applied Research MethodsThis section describes the methods used to conduct the applied research such as a survey, case study, interviews, focus groups, etc. Sufficient detail should be provided about specific techniques as well as the rationale for the use of particular methods. Highly technical methods with advanced statistical analysis should be avoided. As this is a journal for practitioners and applied researchers, authors should rely more on simple descriptive statistics, or perhaps discriminant or factor analysis, and ANOVA.
ResultsResults should be clear and concise. How do the response rate and representativeness of the sample coincide with expectations? What are the key findings of the research? Include tables, charts, and graphs that aid in displaying and explaining the results.
DiscussionThis section should explore the significance of the results of the work. A combined Results and Discussion section is often appropriate. Compare and contrast results with other research. What are the seminal findings? Avoid extensive citations and discussion of published literature. Provide recommendations, prescriptions, and thoughtful insights and observations.
ConclusionsWhat can be concluded from this applied research? What is the significance of the findings to practioners and appied researchers? What remains to be explored, and what would the author(s) recommend for further research?
AcknowledgementsList here those individuals who provided help during the research and writing of the article. Collate acknowledgements in a separate section at the end of the article before the references. Do not include them on the title page, as a footnote to the title, or otherwise.
AppendicesIf there is more than one appendix, they should be identified as A, B, etc.
ReferencesReferences should follow American Psychological Association (APA) style, including the parenthetical references (author, date) as well as the reference list. The reference list should be in alphabetical order by author name. If there are two articles by the same author, then the author's name is again written in full. This follows the APA style. If there are two or more articles by the same author, then they should be ordered according to year, with the most recent appearing first. If there are two or more articles with the same author and same year, then they should be ordered alphabetically by title, with the first article being 1998a, the second 1998b, and so on.
|
Banner photos include a Cape Cod cranberry bog; a cranberry “screen house” used to grade fresh cranberries; farmland near Lake Placid, NY, in the Adirondack Mountains; Montmorency cherry trees on the Mission Peninsula of northern Michigan; the historic Round Barn in the South Mountain Apple Belt of Adams County, Pennsylvania; the “Sea of Grapes” district of the Lake Erie Concord Grape Belt, near Erie, Penn; a field of cabbages near Shortsville, NY, home to one of the world’s largest sauerkraut factories. All photos copyright by Duncan Hilchey.